Several years ago, I decided to confine my reading to
books on the Middle East, more broadly defined than is customary. I wondered
if any classmates would benefit from seeing a list of those books that I
considered most helpful in trying to understand an area vital to the
interests of the West generally, and Canada and the United States in
particular. Reviews are available on Google.

2.Islam:

The Closing of the Muslim Mind:
How Intellectual Suicide Created the Modern
Islamist, by
Robert R. Reilly (2010).

Reilly provides an historical analysis of a debate among
Sunni Muslim thinkers a thousand years ago over the role of the intellect in
every day Muslim life. The conclusion of the debate was that Allah
controlled all aspects of the human experience and that the intellect, and
in particular, the concept of cause and effect, had no role whatsoever.
Since Sunni Muslims to this day are taught this concept, even if not all
actually believe it, it helps to explain several aspects of Muslim life.
These include their rampant belief in conspiracy theories, the difficulties
in teaching Muslim soldiers to shoot straight, the difficulty in getting
Muslim students to cram for exams, the general acceptance without
questioning of any item appearing in the media and finally, the poor
performance of the Arab economies. In other words, Allah’s assumed control
of individual behaviour obviates any need for personal striving in matters
other than religious observance.

Rashid has spent his professional life in Afghanistan and
Pakistan and knows most of the players in the current strife in that area.
His knowledge, based on hundreds of interviews, is extensive and his
language flows easily. A very good read.

4.Egypt:

Egypt on the Brink: From Nasser to Mubarak
by Tarek Osman (2010).

Osman describes the socialist approach of Nasser and the
crony capitalism of Sadat and Mubarak and its corruption, resulting in a
dramatic decline in the standard of living of most Egyptians. An excellent
explanation of the recent events in Egypt, indeed an implicit prediction.

5.Iran:

The Ayatollah Begs to Differ: The Paradox of Modern Iran
by Hooman Majd (2009)

A very readable, personal account of Majd’s recent
travels in Iran, including interviews with Khatami, the recent president. He
describes Ahmadinejad, the current president, as a cunning operator who is
widely hated by most Iranians.

6.Israel:

1948: The First Arab-IsraeliWar by Benny Morris (2008):

As good a military history as I have come across. Three
factors combined to award victory to the Israelis: they were fighting for
their survival, each of their Arab enemies seemed more concerned about what
each other Arab combatant would gain in the war at their expense, and the
Israelis had no need to expend large resources dealing with the Palestinian
Arabs, whose leaders had largely fled and who were encouraged by a
well-planned Israeli ethnic-cleansing campaign to flee.

7.Lebanon and Israel:

From Beirut to Jerusalem
by Thomas L. Friedman (2004):

This book though dated, still provides essential
background since over the years, little has changed. The Israeli government
is hamstrung by proportional voting which gives unhelpful political clout to
minor religious parties, and the Palestinians are unable to speak with one
focused voice. Consequently, a two-state solution remains unachievable.

8.Pakistan:

Pakistan: A Hard Country,
by Anatoly Lieven (2011).

This long book provides an intimate picture of Pakistan,
whose army is the only institution that works. Patronage and kinship
dominate Pakistan politics: every politician seeks to extract maximum
benefit for one’s kin at the expense of the rest of the population. The
Pakistani Taliban provide a much more effective if brutal justice system
than that of the state where influence and bribery are the main determinants
of outcomes.

9.Saudi Arabia:

Inside the Kingdom: Kings, Clerics, Modernists, Terrorist
and the Struggle for Saudi Arabia by
Robert Lacey (2009).

This book follows up on Lacey’s previous book, The
Kingdom, and is a must-read for anyone interested in the impact of Saudi
Arabia on events in the Middle East, e.g., their funding of madrassas in
Pakistan and Afghanistan, and its influence through its oil on American
foreign policy.

10.Yemen:

Yemen: Dancing on the Heads of Snakes
by Victoria Clark:

Clark, who was born in Yemen, provides a readable history
of a very troubled country that is a hot bed of Al Qaeda activity and of
political unrest. That’s not all: it is also running out of water, potable
or otherwise, and its population is addicted to qat, a mild opiate.